The present invention relates generally to hydromassage tubs having a piping circuit for the circulation of water which supplies the orifices with discharging jets of water, and possibly with air/ozone.
As is well known, in more advanced systems cleaning of the piping system is effected by carrying out a wash cycle (circulating water and detergents and possibly other substances) in the piping circuit, while the orifices are kept closed, so that the basin of the tub is not affected by the wash liquid.
Therefore, it is important for the orifices to be capable of being closed effectively so as to hermetically isolate the basin of the tub from the piping circuit.
In addition, even if water is not discharged by said orifices, it is useful for the orifices to be capable of being closed to keep the water present in the tub from entering the piping circuit through such orifices, carrying with it organic particles and dirt.
At the present time, it is known that a plug, operated by an electric actuator, which closes off a section of passage of the water in the orifice, may be used to close the orifices.
This solution, however, has the drawback of requiring a special electric circuit for the operation of such actuators, with consequent costs for material, labor in making the circuit, labor due to the consequent complexity of the electronic control card and, in addition, risks to the user due to possible leakage of electric current. Another drawback lies in the fact that known devices for closing the orifices, due to their makeup and arrangement, necessarily occupy a relatively large space in the horizontal direction and perpendicular to the surface of the basin of the tub, thus contributing to making the dimensions of the whole hydromassage tub unnecessarily large.
Therefore, one object of the present invention is to procure means capable of closing the orifices which overcome the drawbacks mentioned above.
This and other objects are accomplished by the close-off and connecting unit for hydromassage orifices according to the present claimed invention.